JotCast | November 22 hoops chat

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Steve

3:07

LOL. Parking is NOT the problem for ND basketball. It's free and not far to walk. Plus, if you are a pro you park at Bulla and come and go with no traffic at all. Probably the easiest parking situation in D1 hoops. Am I wrong, Tom?

Thomas Noie

3:07

Bonzie really has no comparison. He was a 6-4/6-5 guy with crazy long arms and an ability to figure out a way to put the ball in the basket. I saw his first picture - with thick black glasses - and thought, THIS GUY??? Two years later, you're like, yep. That guy.

Wadelite

3:06

I actually thought a Dom Campbell to Bonzie comparison is more applicable. Lubin is more like the forwards we often saw at Louisville or UNC, example Isaiah Hicks.

Thomas Noie

3:04

Paul: Good stuff. And keep yelling. Keep cheering. Keep caring! Oh, and keep reading (shameless plug).

Paul, here in the Bend

3:03

The whole weak attendance thing is my hobby horse. 58yo and been going for 50. The university bears much of the blame for sanitizing the atmosphere. I get on the refs loudly a couple times, and an usher works his way in my direction. They even have an announcement at game beginning they will toss you if you get rowdy. We have zero atmosphere, and the university and the parking situation are big reasons why.

Thomas Noie

2:58

Justin: Bonzie wasn't BONZIE #@%$^^&# COLSON right away. It took a while to kind of see that he was a unique talent and that he would figure it out. Lubin looks like guys on the other ACC teams usually look. There's a lot there. He's got a great/immediate feel that maybe the staff didn't immediately tap into with Bonzie. But he was an unicorn. Haven't seen someone like him since.

Justin, Ft. Wayne

2:56

I’ve heard a lot of Lubin being compared to Bonzie talk. What’s your initial impression on that? Bonzie was one hell of a player and if Lubin can turn out like him.. Sign me up!

Thomas Noie

2:56

Wade: James Brown is at the top of the list. Nobody's higher...or maybe more needed.

Wadelite

2:55

In terms of 2024 recruits Brown has to be the #1 priority. It would be great to pull that off ala Starling. The wing Kneuppel from Wisconsin looks like Brey player and he's not a tooth pick. Hopefully he wants to play somewhere that involves scoring as opposed to being on a team that plays 55-49 games.

Thomas Noie

2:55

TJ: My man! Solid effort. And you're right. Classic scene. Gets me every time.

ToledoJohnny from Georgia

2:55

Oh...and I got The Princess Bride reference. Wallace Shawn to Cary Elwes while holding Robin Wright at knife point.

Thomas Noie

2:52

Wade: The expectation bar for that junior class is pretty low. Sorry, but it just is. Not much there. Not much shown to date, either.

Wadelite

2:52

I personally think if needed and healthy that Tony Sanders could help this season. Brey even noted how well he knows the system. He can move his feet well and is a decent shooter. In his frosh season he played out of control which led to charges. Having him around had to factor in JR going the Abro soph redshirt route. Both Sanders and Zona have the 5th year option. Sanders could possibly play some real minutes next season. As far as Zona he seems over matched. Does not have enough power or shooting ability to make up for limited foot speed. He is not going to be a Geben final season revelation. Brey needs another big for next season via the portal.

Thomas Noie

2:51

Lubin's at 21.2 minutes, so he's already in. Would be more to get Hammond some minutes. Again, it's probably going to take him time to get up to speed. But eventually, once he's healthy, he's got to play.

ToledoJohnny from Georgia

2:51

I agree with Big Papi... its now a difficult decision for Brey to make regarding Hammond and and Lubin since the starters are doing nicely. I mean who would have thunk that Dane Goodwin would be the lowest ppg of the starting 5 on these last 3 games? But again, a nice problem to have. It was mentioned earlier that Brey could shave 5 minutes off of the top 5 (or so) to fit Hammond and Lubin in...

Thomas Noie

2:50

Jim: Yes, they've watched, but how serious it gets remains to be determined. Think one of the guys in his circle was just hired as an ops guy at Cincinnati.

Jim from Mishawaka

2:49

I read the staff watched Flory Bidunga, the 6-9 center from Congo who attends Kokomo HS. He's only been in the US since 2021. I was pleasantly surprised when I read this. I would have thought there'd be academic issues because of his short time in the US.

Thomas Noie

2:49

Justin: To be determined. I was ticketed to go to Los Angeles for football, but losses to Marshall and Stanford kind of put the kibosh on that. Waiting to see if I can flip that ticket to LAX to head to LGA (airport code talk) and watch some hoops. If not, a holiday weekend with the fam always a good fall-back option!

Justin, Ft. Wayne

2:48

Will you be in New York for ND vs St. Bonaventure?

Thomas Noie

2:48

IF: Boom. Why did the Radford game start at 8? Why did Southern Indiana? ACC Network dictates that. If that's the case, you'd think they could find a way to actually show an entire game. Doesn't matter if it's volleyball or men's soccer or hockey or softball or whatever. The ACC means basketball. Find a way to maximize your money maker. Not that hard.

Illinois Fool

2:46

Why are there so many different starting times for the games? Is the ACC Network the culprit?

Thomas Noie

2:46

My man! Good to hear from you. Not arguing with the students, but man, they gotta know - represent. Don't give me this excuse or that excuse. We're talking 2,500 students for hoops. Find them. The starting lineup would've been Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin and Marcus Hammond at the guards and Nate Laszewski and Ven-Allen Lubin at the forwards. In theory. Lubin getting hurt kind of pushed Brey closer toward four around one. Then Hammond was hurt. Starling and Wertz likely would've started the season as the sixth and seventh men. Remember, Blake Wesley opened last year on the bench as well. Let's see how the shots/percentages fare once league play starts.

big papi, west coast

2:43

tom terrific. love seeing you go back and forth on twitter with the students - gotta let them know! you have mentioned a few times that if Lubin didn't take shots to the face he would've started...also if hammond was healthy he would've started. so what would the actual radford starting lineup have looked like? who comes off the bench? also, does this team have the potential to be a top 2 shooting team of the brey era?

Thomas Noie

2:38

Steve: Two-hundred percent off the radar. They 'll keep the proverbial open mind, but unless the prospect shows over-the-top interest in Notre Dame and everything it entails, the staff just doesn't want to set aside that time and effort and distance for someone they may or may not get.

Steve

2:37

I've asked before, but I'll ask again, Tom. Do you know if this coaching staff ever even remotely considers recruiting players in Europe? I know it's not something they invest any significant time in, but do they do anything at all? Watch videos, track European players that similar programs might be approaching? Or is it 100% off the ND recruiting radar?

Thomas Noie

2:36

Tim: Going to be a while - if ever - until somebody comes anywhere close to being the type of leader that Pat Connaughton was - right guy, right place, right time, right group. Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin are more on the quiet side. Not all that animated. Like, let me do my work and we'll get it done. Cormac Ryan is a little more demonstrative when it comes to leadership. Pat didn't take any #@$%$ and backed it all up with the way he played. One of a kind.

Tim from Chicago

2:35

Tom, a few years ago in one of your chats you told a story about how Pat Connaughton was one of the strongest leaders that you had ever witnessed at ND, both on and off the court. Wondering if Laz, Goodwin, etc. rank up there with Pat given they are now in their fifth years at ND?

Thomas Noie

2:32

It's a little of both. Sometimes, they're not happy unless they're unhappy. Then, they're unhappy that they have to be happy. AmIright?

ToledoJohnny from Georgia

2:31

I wonder at times if the fans "love to hate" Notre Dame Men's Basketball or "hate to love" Notre Dame Men's basketball?

Thomas Noie

2:29

We're not done yet! Let's go!

ToledoJohnny from Georgia

2:29

Heck of a chat this time around, Tom. Well done and thanks!

Thomas Noie

2:27

Steve: Might have to do with having to hire more people - to serve it, to monitor it - that it isn't worth the overall hassle. That, and a perception that the University doesn't want - Oh, people just go to basketball games to drink beer. But I'd love a home atmosphere that had a little more of an edge.

Steve

2:25

Thanks, Tom. I am a local and I do attend the games. You are right - hard to sit through. Do you know WHY the school refuses to sell alcohol? Maybe a dram shop thing? I'm not saying it's the magic bullet and that Purcell would sell out if they served liquor, but it would not hurt attendance.

Thomas Noie

2:22

Jake: Nah, I'm not ready to advocate that. but you can't tell me you can't find 7,000 people who want to watch basketball. Not saying a sellout, just saying a better representation of knowledgeable fans. This is Indiana after all, right?

Jake

2:21

Not to harp on the attendance issue but should Notre Dame just bite the bullet and start serving alcohol? We have seen declining attendance in football and basketball. Not trying to challenge the classiness of Notre Dame, but if we can do it for Garth not sure why we can't do it for FB and hoops :)

Thomas Noie

2:21

Steve: That's for Notre Dame to figure out. But go to one of these games, and it's a clown show. From the TV timeout entertainment to the crowd participation, it's hard to sit through.

Steve

2:20

How could they possibly get more locals at the games? Sell beer? Lower ticket prices? More hokey half time shenanigans? I suspect the best answer would be to have a nationally ranked top 10 team that played good opponents. But assuming that doesn't happen, what can they really do? I agree - the attendance is pitiful.

Thomas Noie

2:20

Tim: Any trip to Tobacco Road (i.e. the Triangle) I can make in winter is a winner all the way around. What's the best arena? The ones that care about basketball, opponent, weather, everything else aside.

Tim from Chicago

2:19

Tom - what road trip are you personally looking forward to the most this season? Is there a specific host campus, city, arena etc that you enjoy most?

Thomas Noie

2:19

Wait, punishment? Seriously. Brey's never been a punisher - he believes in being a confidence giver. Two thousand fans in the building? That's every night.

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